behaviour

American  

[bih-heyv-yer] / bɪˈheɪv yər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. behavior.

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behaviour British  

/ bɪˈheɪvjə /

noun

1. manner of behaving or conducting oneself

2. behaving with careful good manners

3. psychol

   1. the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation

   2. a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli

4. the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances

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Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• behavioural adjective

Etymology

Origin of behaviour

C15: from _behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have

Explanation

Your behaviour is the way you act in various situations. Note that this word ends with "our," which is the British spelling, while the American English spelling is behavior. This discrepancy is common, and either spelling is correct. The Late Middle English word behavoure meant "to have possession," which seemingly refers to a person in control of his or her actions. If you are accused of childish behaviour, you might be acting as though you have little self-control. Scottish musician Shirley Manson once said: "A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that's frightful behaviour."

Example Sentences

Currently, premises can be shut for up to three months under anti-social behaviour legislation, but supporting statements from other businesses and members of the public are often needed.

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien's clip went viral and triggered a backlash that led to his arrest in Singapore, which has a reputation for not tolerating bad behaviour.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

The company also published a blog on Tuesday outlining how OpenAI responds to users who display potentially dangerous behaviour on ChatGPT.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

"Changing your behaviour, being on a dynamic tariff – there's no cost saving just from having the smart meter installed."

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

“But you are not entitled to know mine; nor will such behaviour as this, ever induce me to be explicit.”

From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen